BuddyThomas
Well-Known Member
It's in the General Discussion section. Subject line is "problem with the monorail" or something.
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Appalling state of the monorail cabins
- Thread starter ptaylor
- Start date
MonorailMan
Active Member
A rip in a seat is not a health issue. Mold though, is a health issue that should be taken care of when noticed.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
Yes, certain things get complained about that seem a bit ridiculous to complain about, but this isn't one of those, IMO. There's clear issues with maintenance. I appreciate what they do at night to them so they don't break down, as they're old, but maybe they should have been replaced instead of run into the ground needing this constant upkeep which then leads to poor conditions on the inside and exteriors. The monorails look terrible running on the beams. And I don't know what gets fixed on them nightly but they sound terrible when in motion and there's frequent breakdowns, which is understandable of course, it's run so much, but again, maybe they should have been replaced by now, or given complete overhauls. JMO. It's not unacceptable to expect something like this to be taken care of and in good condition for guests. It's a sign of how poorly TDO runs their operations.
Figment2005
Well-Known Member
I think I have said it before, but the majority of "breakdowns" are computer "glitches". The computers in those trains are extremely old, and old technology rarely works correctly 100% of the time. Also, many unexpected stops are due to guests leaning on doors in which the train has to move slowly to the next station where they can recycle them. Mechanical breakdowns that cannot be recovered in 10-20 minutes are very rare.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Disney made a name for themselves by being proactive, not by having long delayed reactions.
Soarin' Over Pgh
Well-Known Member
Soarin' Over Pgh
Well-Known Member
Knowing that, as I'm positive they do, replace them.
Someone earlier (@marni1971 ?) mentioned Iger made 34 million last year. Surely the disney company can afford an upgrade to the system that they advertise as one of the biggest selling points for the most expensive of their hotels and DVC suites. And surely, they would want this system to be impressive, right?
Right?
CDavid
Well-Known Member
Even if a decision for new monorails was made tomorrow, by the time they could possibly be delivered Iger and many other top executives will have already moved on and no longer be with the company. It will be someone else's problem before anything gets done anyway, most executives apparently can't see that far ahead, and fail to understand why they should compromise this quarters financial numbers for something they'll never see.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
They could always try to plan a step by step upgrade.
Example, delivering 1 or 2 new monorail (Mark VIII now?) every 3 months, until all the fleet as been replaced.
Also, they could look at the China or Japan or German new MAGLEV tech to reduce costs or make the new ones more efficient and cheap to run.
MonorailMan
Active Member
You are correct, it would be Mark VIII monorails; Disneyland had Mark I, II, III, V, and VII, while Disney had Mark IV and VI. If they upgraded the system, it is so much more than just bringing in new trains and getting rid of the old. It is a guarantee that the length and size of the new trains would not be the same as the old ones, so they would have to re-position the platform gates (MK, Epcot, and TTC), possibly raise or lower platform heights, possibly changing the size of the portals going into and out of the Contemporary, and possibly lengthen the stations. Those 4 tasks would take at least a year or so, if not longer. So, would it be impossible to do those tasks and upgrade the system to where it should be? No. But, does Disney want to worry about another big project after just finishing the new Fantasyland and currently being in the process of Avatarland, Disney Springs, River of Light, etc? No. From my view, a monorail system overhaul would likely not happen until at least 2016/2017. But, I see it as a promising sign that Disney is working on automating the system, which could mean that they have looked into a new monorail fleet and they realized that with today's technology, they would have to have an automated system.
CDavid
Well-Known Member
Not to throw cold water completely on your thoughts, but around the time the current monorails were built, Walt Disney World also debuted the Disney-MGM Studios, Pleasure Island, and Typhoon Lagoon. They used to be able to handle multiple big projects at once. Again, if there really were to be new monorails as soon as 2016-17, then the project would already have to be under way - No Monorail Direct dealer in Orlando.
MonorailMan
Active Member
My thoughts were that they would start the upgrade around early 2016 and finish in late 2017, into early 2018. 2 years at most is what I would expect depending on how much they have to change with the current infrastructure to make it what they would need it to be. And I'm not saying that Disney can't handle multiple big projects at once, I'm just assuming that they don't feel like dealing with multiple big projects at once.Not to throw cold water completely on your thoughts... Again, if there really were to be new monorails as soon as 2016-17, then the project would already have to be under way - No Monorail Direct dealer in Orlando.
Does anyone know about how long the upgrade from Mark IV to Mark VI took?
Frankly, my experience last month was that I was riding a monorail with a poorly maintained interior that broke down and seriously inconvenienced me.
There is no choosing. Guests get both options on a regular basis.
WDWFanDave
Well-Known Member
Is there any chance that this...
could be related to this:
Seems as though I also remember reading somewhere if they were to get new trains that there would have to be modifications made in order to accommodate them.
Not trying to stir anything up, and I don't have any inside information. Just seeing things that might be related and questioning.
could be related to this:
Seems as though I also remember reading somewhere if they were to get new trains that there would have to be modifications made in order to accommodate them.
Not trying to stir anything up, and I don't have any inside information. Just seeing things that might be related and questioning.
danlb_2000
Premium Member
I would guess it's not related to new trains, there could be any number of other things that are being modified on the platforms.
ABQ
Well-Known Member
Huh, yeah, perhaps they're installing garbage collectors to catch all the trash the CM's kick down between the trains and the platforms. The apparently endorsed "best practice" mentioned earlier in this or some other monorail thread.
danlb_2000
Premium Member
Soarin' Over Pgh
Well-Known Member
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
They could be just installing the automation systems, just like they were installing these at Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary a few ago.
MonorailMan
Active Member
By automation system do you mean automated platform gates?